Cooling system for earth handling vehicle



May 25, 1965 D. M. SCHWARTZ ETAL Original Filed June 15, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet l g {2! I I H] i g I 0-)) m if a 3 i g l Q c j g r o 0 m 8 cg I INVENTORS DANIEL M. SCHWARTZ JOSEPH ROSENBLATT BM fflmll ATTO RN EYS y 1965 D. M. SCHWARTZ ETAL 3,185,242

COOLING SYSTEM FOR EARTH HANDLING VEHICLE Original Filed June 15, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

DANIEL M. SCHWARTZ JOSEPH ROSENEJLATT wit/7M ATTORNEYS May 25, 1965 D. M. SCHWARTZ ETAL 3,185,242

COOLING Si'STEM FOR EARTH HANDLING VEHICLE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Criginal Filed June 15, 1959 INVENTORS DANIEL M. SCHWARTZ JOSEPH ROSENBLATT ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,185,242 COOLING SYSTEM FOR EARTH HANDLING VEHICLE Daniel M. Schwartz and Joseph Rosenblatt, Salt Lake City, Utah, assignors to The Eimco Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah, a corporation of Delaware Original application June 15, 1959, Ser. No. 820,385, now Patent No. 3,085,643, dated Apr. 16, 1963. Divided and this application Jan. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 253,828 1 Claim. (Cl. 180-54) This application is a division of our application Serial No. 820,385 filed June 15, 1959, now Patent No. 3,085,- 643 issued April .16, 1963, for Land Vehicle.

This invention relates to improvements in cooling systems for mobile earth handling machines.

It has been an endeavor of manufacturers of earth handling equipment, having prime movers of the liquid cooled type, to provide adequate cooling for the prime movers and at the same time to reduce to a minimum airborne dust abrasion of the prime movers and their coolant radiators and to reduce to a minimum the discharge, toward the vehicles operator, of heated dust laden air.

It is a particular object of this invention to provide a cooling system for an internal combustion engine propelled earth handling machine wherein the flow of cooling air is continuously moved in a direction opposite to the direction of forward movement of the vehicle and away from the vehicle operator and wherein the cooling air is drawn by suction through a coolant radiator to the blades of at least one power-driven fan and then discharged from the rearward end of the vehicle.

A further object is to provide in such a cooling unit a system of dual fans positioned in transverse side-by-side relationship whereby cooling air is uniformly brought in about each side of the internal combustion engine to the coolant radiator.

Another object is to provide in a liquid coolant system for an internal combustion engine of a mobile earth handling vehicle a coolant air pattern which is predominantly opposite in direction to the direction of forward movement of the vehicle and at all times away from the vehicle operator.

These and other objects and advantages are provided in a prime mover propelled material handling machine including a body portion having a forward end and a rearward end, a liquid cooled prime mover carried by the body portion, a liquid coolant radiator for the prime mover carried by the body portion, an operators station posi tioned forwardly of the radiator, an air moving fan having air impelling blades mounted rearwardly of the liquid coolant radiator, drive means interconnecting the fan and the prime mover for rotating the fan blades when the prime mover is operating, the pitch of the blades of the fan and the direction of rotation of the fan being coordinated to move cooling air for the liquid coolant radiator generally in a direction to the rear of the machine and away from the vehicle operator, through the liquid coolant radiator to the fan and then to be discharged by the fan at the rearward end of the machine.

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to the illustrated embodiments thereof wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view through an earth handling vehicle having incorporated therein the improved cooling system of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of an earth handling vehicle and cooling system therefor; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view of a radiator and dual fan arrangement of the type shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, generally designates a mobile earth handling vehicle mounted on crawler tracks 12. The vehicle has a forward end 14 and a rear- 3,185,242 Patented May 25, 1965 ward end 16. Intermediate the forward end and the rearward end of the vehicle is mounted a liquid cooled internal combustion engine 18. Forwardly of the internal combustion engine 18 and adjacent the forward end 14 of the vehicle is an operators station 20. Rearwardly of the internal combustion engine 18 is a liquid coolant radiator 22 and rearwardly of the liquid coolant radiator 22 is a coolant fan assembly 24. The coolant fan assembly includes a hub 26 and a plurality of fan blades 28. The hub 26 of the fan has secured thereto a pulley 30.

The internal combustion engine 18 is provided with a rearwardly extending power output shaft 32. The power output shaft drives a further pulley =34 vertically aligned with the fan pulley 30. A suitable drive belt 36 interconnects the pulleys 30 and 34 for driving the fan 24 when the internal combustion engine is operating. The direction of rotation of the fan 24 and the pitch of the fan blades 28 are so coordinated that upon operation of the internal combustion engine 18 air is blown by the fan in a direction toward the rear end 16 of the vehicle.

The rearward portion of the vehicle housing is provided with a pair of side air outlets 40, which may be provided with panels to provide the operator with means for controlling the air flow and flow pattern, and a louvered top surface outlet 42 which provides the main air outlet and is never closed. The panels are indicated by the dashed lines P of FIGURE 2. The reduced pressure area created by rotation of the fan between the fan and the rear surface of the radiator 22 draws air in through a pair of side inlets 44 about the internal combustion engine zone of the vehicle housing through the radiator and then to the blades of the fan.

The relation between the direction of movement of air and the vehicle is more clearly shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings wherein the vehicle 10 is shown in a diagrammatic perspective with the forward direction of the vehicle being indicated by arrow A, the operators position being shown at 20 and rearwardly of the operators station are the pair of side air inlets 44, the radiator 22, a pair of motor driven fans 24' and rearwardly of the fans the pair of rearward air outlets 40. In operation of the vehicle, the air flow paths are shown by directional arrows B with the air entering the side inlets 44 flowing toward and through the radiator 22 to the blades of the fans and then being discharged by the fans in the dir-ection of directional arrow C out of the rear air outlets 40.

Referring specifically to FIG. 3 of the drawings, the preferred arrangement of the fans and radiator is illustrated wherein the radiator 22 is shown as being supported from the main frame of the vehicle by support brackets 50 and the pair of suction fan 24' are rotatably supported by shroud members 52. Each of the fans 24' is driven by a single belt 36' which passes about the pair of fan pulleys 30' and about the internal combustion engine pulley 34 keyed to the rearwardly extending motor output shaft 32. Where dual fans are employed as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a more uniform distribution of the air is provided for the large radiator 22 and the air being drawn into the vehicle housing moves at a relatively low velocity until the air is positively impelled by the blades 28 of the fans after having passed about the engine and through the radiator, thereby substantially reducing the abrasive effect of the airborne particulate material that is always present in substantial quantities during the operation of mobile earth handling machinery.

From the foregoing description of the improved cooling system for mobile earth handling machines, it will be seen that by so arranging the operators station, the internal combustion engine, the radiator, the fans, and their direction of rotation air may be moved about the 3 internal combustion engine through the radiator and then to the blades of the fans in a direction away from the vehicle operator, whereby abrasive particles carried by the air are not impelled by the fan blades into the cooling radiator or the motor parts, thereby substantially prolonging the life of the cooling system.

We claim:

An internal combustion engine propelled earth handling machine including a body portion having a forward end and a rearward end, a liquid cooled internal combustion engine carried by the body portion generally intermediate the forward end and the rearward end of the machine, a transmission for the earth handling machine carried by the body portion and positioned forwardly of the internal combustion engine, a forwardly extending take-off shaft from'the engine connecting the engine and the transmission, an operators station positioned forwardly of the internal combustion engine, a liquid coolant radiator for the internal combustion engine carried by the body portion rearwardly of the internal combustion engine, an air moving fan having a plurality of air impelling blades, said fan being mounted rea'rwardly of the liquid coolant radiator, a rearwardly extending power take-cit shaft from the engine interconnecting the fan and the internal combustion engine for rotating the blades of the fan when the internal combustion engine is operating, the pitch of the blades of the fan and the direction of rotation of the fan being coordinated to move cooling air for the liquid coolant radiator generally in the opposite direction to the direction of forward movement of the machine and first about each of the rearward side portions of the internal combustion engine and away from the vehicle operator, through the liquid coolant radiator to the blade of the fan and then to discharge the air from the rearward end of the machine, said body portion having an air inlet orifice on each side of said machine and rearwardly of said operators station, a first air outlet orifice in said body portion rearwardly of said fan, second and third air outlet orifices on the sides of said body portion also rearwardly of said fan, said second and third outlet orifices provided each with panels, to thereby enable the operator to control coolant air pattern.

References-Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,979,191 10/34 Burney 54 2,058,228 10/66 I-Lienta 18054 2,124,088 7/38 Stout 180-54 2,124,166 7/38 Mallett 180-54 2,435,513 2/48 Rogert et-al. l8,054 3,085,643 4/63 Schwartz et al 18068 X A. HARRY LEVY, Primary Examiner.

PHILIP ARNOLD, Examiner. 

